Development on Avatar began in 1994, when Cameron wrote an 80-page scriptment for the film.[11] Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, for a planned release in 1999,[12] but according to Cameron, the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film.[13] Work on the language for the film's extraterrestrial beings began in summer 2005, and Cameron began developing the screenplay and fictional universe in early 2006.[14][15]
Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million.[2] Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production, and at $150 million for promotion.[16][17][18] The film was released for traditional two-dimensional projectors, as well as in 3D, using the RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D and IMAX 3D formats, and also in 4D.[19] The stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a likely breakthrough in cinematic technology.[20]
Avatar premiered in London on December 10, 2009, and was released overseas on December 16 and in North America on December 18, to critical acclaim and commercial success.[21][22][23] The film broke several box office records during its release and became the highest-grossing film of all time in North America[24] and worldwide, surpassing Titanic, which had held the records for the previous 12 years.[25] It also became the first film to gross more than $2 billion.[26] Following the film's success, Cameron stated that there will be a sequel.[27] Avatar was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director,[28] and won three, for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction.